Category: Founder

The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the enigmas of the NBA for a long period of time showing flashes of brilliance during a history dating back to 1968. The Bucks won their only NBA Championship to date in 1971 and have failed to win their division since 2001. New York-based billionaire, Wes Edens took control of the franchise in 2014 and immediately set about changing the culture of the franchise with an investment in a basketball arena costing more than $500 million. View Wes Edens profile at linkedin.

Wes Edens delivered the proposed stadium in less than four years and continues with ambitious plans to regenerate the Entertainment District of Milwaukee over the coming years. The first stages of the regeneration of downtown Milwaukee will begin with four entertainment-based buildings flanking each side of Fiserv Forum arena planned to create a major entertainment and dining experience. Fans of the Bucks had been concerned the team would depart its home in Milwaukee, but Wes Edens had promised a new arena would satisfy his desire to add to the history of the team in its home city.

In the summer of 2018, Wes Edens oversaw the opening of Fiserv Arena alongside fellow franchise shareholder, Marc Lasry. The business partners have created a model for redeveloping an ailing franchise Edens is now taking to the international stage with his latest sporting venture. As Fiserv Forum was opening, Edens announced he had also purchased a controlling interest in the English soccer team, Aston Villa. Comparisons between the Bucks and Villa are easy to make as both are former champions in their respective sports who had fallen on tough times before the arrival of Wes Edens as their owner. At Aston Villa, Edens is joined by Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris in attempting to return one of the best-known clubs in Europe to its former position in the English Premier League.